Our protagonist is Matthew Hunter, a young man on a quest to track down lost family heirlooms which he believes to be cursed and responsible for the death of both parents and his grandfather. After a disturbing spate of mysterious disappearances and a death at the Ridgecrest High School in Pleasanton, Nebraska, Matthew fears that one of the heirlooms may somehow have made its way inside the school. He travels to Pleasanton, and attempts to track down the relic so as to release his family from the dreadful curse...

The developers

Relics: Dark Hours is a live-action point & click horror adventure, a collaboration between developers Bryan Wiegele (of the acclaimed Delaware St. John series) and Subdued Games.

Gameplay

The version of the game I tackled took me through the first 20 minutes of gameplay, not including the optional tutorial at the beginning. With a user-friendly interface similar to that employed in the Delaware St. John adventures, there's no messing around wondering how to use this, that or the other. The live-action quality is crisp, with convincing portrayals by the actors whom we encounter in those early minutes. I've played other, lesser quality FMVs where the film has been grainy and the sound appallingly muffled, thereby spoiling the game experience, but Relics: Dark Hours has no such problems.

The game atmosphere is quiet, save for some tinkling unobtrusive background music. There are subtitles if required. I explored every accessible area, examined all possible items, and met with just one simple puzzle to open a locked gate in order to pass through to a new section of the school.

First Look verdict

So far, so good! A pleasing introduction to what promises to be an enjoyably spooky story.

When will it be available?

The game will be releasing for both PC and iPad in download format only, at the end of September 2011. PC gamers may acquire the adventure from Big Fish Games, whereas the Apple Store will carry the version for iPad.

The official site claims "decay will be available in late Summer 2011. Distribution will be announced in the coming months. Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook pages for updates and information about the release of decay.", but their facebook page hasn't mentioned the game for quite a while & the official Wicked Cinder page looks like it hasn't been updated in a while.